Signature-handling device



v M.- CHRISTENSEN. SIGNATURE HANDLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY :1, 1918.

m 0 m 4 s M n Mm 108 2 m m a P M. CHRISTENSEN. SIGNATURE HANDLINGDEVICE;

APPLICATION FILED MAY II, 1918.

- 1,335,221. I I Patented Mar.30 ,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

To all whom it mayconcem:

'onrran STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN CHRISTENSEN, or RACINE, Wisconsin, hssreivca '10 CHRISTENSENMACHINE COMPANY, OF moms, WISCONSIN, A .oonroa arronor WISCONSIN.

SIGNATURE-HANDLING,DEVICE.

I Application filed May 11, 1918. Serial No. 233.951. i

Be it known that I, MARTIN a citizen of the United States, and residentof Racine, in the county of Racine and State of WVisconsin, haveinventednew and useful Improvements in Signature-Handling Devices, ofwhich the following is a description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, which are a part of thisspecification. I

I The invention relates to signature handling devices and moreparticularly to a feed table and its associated mechanism whereby thegroups of signatures may be fed to the machine by a plurality ofoperators. I.

The invention is designed to provide a book-feeding table in which thebooks are disposed in radial guides so that a plurality of operators mayserve the table and dispose the groups of signatures in the radialguides from which they are carried into the Ina-- chine, the arrangementincreasing the working capacity of the individual operator with theresult that the capacity of the bookstitching machine is greatlyincreased because OI the rapidity of feed of the collected groups ofsignatures to the mechanism for feeding the books to the stitchers.

The invention is further designed to provide new and useful improvementsinthe construction of feed table shown in Letters Patent No. 1,297,444,issued to me March 18, 1919, the in'iprovements being in the provisionsfor adjusting the table for different sizes of books and in varying thefeed or operation of the table and for alining the signatures.

The invention further consists in'the several features hereinafter setforth and'more particularly defined by'the claims at the conclusionhereof.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the device embodying the invention, partsbeing broken away;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail view of the means for turning the table;and V Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail view of the means for alining thesignatures.

In general the device comprises a receiv-' ing table, means forintermittently turning the table; and. means for successively deliv-Specification of Letters Patent. Patented distance from each other.

Man sdiezo.

ering collected groups of signatures from the table to thebook-stitching "machine With reference to the means for succes' sivelydelivering collected groups of signa tures from the table to thebook-stitjching machine, a part which is designated generally by thenumeral 3, attention is directed to: Letters Patent'No. 1,297,444,previouslyreferred to, which shows the means for sue cessivelydelivering the signatures from the:

tabletothe book-stitching machine, and as the subject matter of thepresent invention is directed more particularly. to the construction ofthe receiving table, further reference to the means for taking thesignatures from the receiving table and delivering them to the machineis deemed unnecessary. The receiving table consists of a circular base 4being centrally secured to a member 5 carried by a central post 6, whichpost is journaled in a frame 7, having brackets 8 to which receivingaprons 9 are secured to lie flush with the base 4 and at a quadrants Thereceiving table further consists of a plurality of radially disposedpartitions or guide members 10 having outer tapered ends 11, and formingradially disposed pockets. In addition to the partitions 10 mounted uponthe base 4, supplemental partitions 13 of corresponding shape aredisposed in adjustable spaced relation to the partitions 10 by means oftheir connection through brackets 14 to a spider 15 which is adjustablymounted upon the post 6 by means of a threaded hub 16 for the spiderengaging the threaded end 17 n of the post 6. Thus the partitions 13 areaway from the partitions 10 depending upon the breadth of the signaturesbein handled. The partitions 13 may be spaced nearer to or farther awayfrom the partitions 10 by revolving the spider 15 upon the post 6 in theproper direction. .Thu's the partitions 10 and 13 form spaced guides forradially disposed signatures upon the base 4. In placing the signaturesupon the table means are provided for limiting the position to which thesignatures may be moved inwardly in the guides, andthis is accomplishedby means of adjustable. back stops, one for each pocket. Each of, theseback stops consists of an angled plate 18, the

lower portion 1t) of which is provided was a plurality of apertures toreceive pins 21, which; pins not only pass through one of the apertures.20, but may also be inserted V in setsof radially alined spaced apartcapertures 22, there being a set of apertures 22 to take care of eachback stop.

. With the construction thus far described, the operators stationedadjacentthe aprons 9 place the groups of signatures into the" pockets 12between the guides. 10 and 13,

pushing them in until the front edges of the signatures abut against theupper portion 23 0f the back stop 18,-the adjustment of the back. stopsbeing made so as to permit the front portion 24L of the signatures toextend beyond the table ashort distance to be engaged by the previouslyreferred to mechanism for" successively delivering thesignatures fromthereceiving table to the stitch ing machine; Thus with thisconstruction thevadjustment of the back stops and the adjustment of thepartitions 10 and 13 with re- 4 signatures tothe machine is similar tothat of my Letters Patent previously referred to in that it consists ofratchet wheel 2% formed on the member 6 and engaged by a pawl 25 mountedupon a lever 26 which is, oscillated by a reciproeatmgrod 27, but themeans for controlling the pawl is different.

In'this construction the means for controlling the pawl consists of acam 28 journaled on the lever 26 cooperating with a cam roller 29carried by the pawl 25, and further comprises means for intern'iittentlyrotating the cam 28 when desired, it being noted that the cam isprovided with recessesf3O and projeotio'ns 31 so that when the roller 29is in any one of the recesses 30 the pawl 25 is held 7 in engagementwith one of the teeth of the a ratchet 24, so that when the cam 28 isturned to bring the projection 31 against the'roller 29, the pawl willbe moved outwardly out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 24.

Unless the cam 28 is turned it will hold the pawl 25 in the position toengage the ratchet wheel 24 and the forward movement of the rod 27 willcause the pawl to move the ratchet wheel one tooth-thus turning thetable'a partial revolution and then on the I backward movement of thepawl the table will remain at rest. Thus continued recipro- -cation ofthe rod 27 causes a step by step rotary movement of the table which istimed to bring one group of signaturesadjacent the feed fingers 3 of thefeeder mechanism -to the book-stitching machine and during the period ofrestof the table the group of signatures presented to the machine areengaged by the fingers 3 and drawn into the machine as explained in myLetters Patent previously referred to. However, in bookstitchingmachines for ractical purposes the strokes of the feed ngersare'limite'd and in the case of a group of signatures of considerablelength it is necessary to stop the feed of the table'so that'the feedfingers 3 may twice engage the signatures presented to them and removethem in two ope erations to the stitching machine. V I

To provide taper-mutin two operations of the feed fingers 3 in thecasewof long books or groups of signatures I have devised a means forstoppingthe rotary movement 7' of the table on alternateforwardmovements 7 ofwthe rod 27 and this is accomplished] by mechanism whichrotates the cam 28 so that forevery other forward movement of the rod27the cam 28 will be turned so that one of, itsprojections 31' moves thepawl 25' out of operative wheel 24. f

. This mechanism 7 consists of a spring pressed pawl 32 mounted on thebracket 33 which bracket isvadjustably secured to the table .7 by meansof a bolt 34, said bracket adapted to be turned so as to abut againstthe stop 35 or thestop 36. Thecam 28 carries a ratchet wheel forward bya plurality of ci'rcumferentially arranged pins 37; The pawl 32 isnormally held against'a stop pin 38 by a spring 39. When the bracket 33is turned about the bolt 34 so that it abuts against the stop 35 asshown in Fig.7 1 the pawl 32 will be in i11 operative position and thecam 28 will be engagement with the I operated as previously described toimpart for operating the cam 28 I a step by step rotation to the tableduring I every reciprocation of the rod 27. When 7 the bracket 33 isturned about the bolt 34' so that it abuts against the stop 36 then thepawl 32 is moved into the path of the" pins 37 of the cam 28 and underthese conditions on the first forward movement of the rod 27 the pawl 25being held by the cam 28 will turn the ratchet wheel 24 the distance ofone tooth and the pawl 32 moves in betweentwo of the pins 37-. On thefirst rearward movement of the rod 27 the pawl 32 strikes one of thesepins .37 and turns the 7 r cam 28 so as to move the roller 29 out of oneof the depressions 30 and on to one ofthe projections 31, thus throwingout the pawl which'is held out on the next forward movement of the rod27 so that no movement is imparted to the table, and on the nextrearward movementthe pawl 32 strikes the next pin 37 and the cam 28 isturned tobring the roller 29 into one of the depressions 30 and thuspermit the pawl25to again engage the ratchet 24. Thus on every otherreciprocation of the rod 27 nomovement is imparted to the table and this:is used where the book is too long for the stroke of the feeder. I

,Theturning movement of thetableiis arrested by a band brake 40 andbrake wheel 41 which is more specifically shown and described in theLetters Patent before referred to.

The means for alining the signatures while they are on the tableconsists of an angled rod 42 carried by a collar 43 which in turn isadjustably secured to the rod 27. The collar 43 is so set on the rod asto permit the rod 42 to strike against the rear edges of the signatureson the rearward movement of the rod 27 as shown in-Fig. 1 thus pushingthe signatures against the back stop to aline them. The adjustment ofthe collar- 43 with respect to the rod 27 provides for handling groupsof signatures of different lengths.

The construction above described thus embodies a table which willreadily accommodate books of different sizes, a means for impartingeither astep by step rotary movement to the table on every reciprocationof signature receiving pockets thereon, ad-

justable back-stops for the pockets, a plurality of guideways disposedabove the table and registering with said pockets, and means foradjustably supporting the guideways at various heights above the table.

2. In a signature handling mechanism, the combination, with a table, ofa plurality of radially disposed guide members mounted thereon to formradially disposed signature receiving pockets,,a plurality of radiallydisposed supplemental guide members adapted to be brought into line withthe guide members on the table, and means for adjustably supporting saidsupplemental guide members at various heights above the table.

3. In a signature handling mechanism, the combination with a tableprovided with signature receiving pockets, of means for intermittentlyturning the said table including a reciprocating rod, and a membermounted on said rod and moved thereby into engagement with one of theedges of a group of signatures to aline them while on the table, andback stops forming the ends of said pockets and against whlch the otherincluding a reciprocating rod, and means operated by said rod andengaging the outer ec ges of the signatures to aline the same.

5. In a signature handling mechanism, the combination of a revolubletable provided with a plurality of radially dis osed signature receivingpockets, means or normally imparting a step by step rotary movement tosaid table, and means for rendering said first named means inoperativeduring every other normal cycle of operation.

6. In a signature handling mechanism, the

combination of a revoluble table provided with a plurality of signaturereceiving pockets, means for normally impartin a step by step rotarymovement to the table, and means for automatically rendering said firstmentioned means operative only at predetermined intervals to vary thenormal rotary movement of the table.

' 7 In a signature handling mechanism, the combination of a revolubletable provided with a plurality of radially disposed pockets, pawl andratchet mechanism for normally imparting a step by step rotary movementto said table, tripping mechanism for the pawl to vary the normal rotarymovement of the table, and means actuated by said pawl and ratchetmechanism for operating said tripping mechanism.

8. In a signature handling mechanism, the combination witha rotary feedtable, pawl and ratchet mechanism 7 for normally imparting a step bystep rotary movement to MARTIN CHRISTENSEN.

